Everything about our week at the lodge was brilliant. We had 3 guides who were at our side for the whole week. We had 2 excursions a day and they were beautiful, exciting and informative.One of my favourite highlights, (and there were many) was the nightly air show by the pool preformed by a roop of bats that dipped and dove at the insects on top of the pool. The food was always fresh and hot. The staff warm and very accomodating. (Allowed us to watch the football game with them. (GO LIGA) The rooms were lovely with balconies overlooking the Napo river. The people of Ahuno (SP) were friendly and the children sweet, a little overzealous at times but very sweet. TIP- always have enough for everyone! We stayed at Casa del Suizo in late November 2011 and since then we have recommended this trip to all of our friends and relatives.

We spent five days in this lodge and had a very pleasant time. I consider that being at the jungle there were more than enough commodities, buffets were wonderful and abundant. Rooms were very confortable and nicely decorated, balconies had an amazing panoramic view. Not sure what the person below us expected when staying in the jungle.

I would highly recommend it.

We stayed two nights at this La Casa during a tour of Ecuador. It is a perfectly comfortable hotel flanked by a small village at the very edge of the Amazonian basin and not at all a lodge in the wilderness. A short, motorized canoe trip brings you there from a muddy embankment on the Napo river (while in fact access by road is possible) and activities such as more canoeing and an interesting jungle walk manage to provide a reasonable idea of what the real thing might look like down river between there and Iquitos, away from "civilization." No dangerous mosquitoes, no flesh eating piranhas, everything is safe. This being said, it is not Disney World.
Guests are housed in simple rooms with a nice, big walk-in shower and plenty of hot water. No glass windows, just screens and an efficient ceiling fan and a hammock on the balcony. We found nights comfortably cool. The grounds are well groomed, covered with a profusion of beautiful plants.There is a superb swimming pool by the bar and the open dining room (the meals there are quite good). As for the view on the river, we found it a bit overrated.

Nov 14th, 2011: My 56th Birthday! Woohoo! Today we'll be heading down from the cool, clean mountain air of the Ecuadorian highlands into the Amazon basin. Stupidly, before our trip I was regularly checking the weather forecasts for Quito and the surrounding areas neglecting to check the weather for the Punta Ahuano area where we'd be staying in the Amazon. DOH! We went from 13,000ft to 1200 ft and from a chilly 55 degrees to Caribbean heat in 5.5 hours.. Thank God I brought a couple of short sleeve shirts and one pair of zip-off pants or I'd have been in a world of discomfort.

We arrived at the highly anticipated Napo river river transport site ( La Punta Ahuano) where we were to board canoes and be taken to the Swiss-owned Casa del Suizo Resort. For whatever reason.. perhaps expectation embellishment, I was expecting an authentic dugout canoe with local barefoot natives, just one generation up from head hunters, paddling us the 15 minutes downstream to our resort. Instead we had Disney-esque 30ft powerboats (shaped like canoes, I suppose), complete with tarp roofs that held about 16 people each manned by Bob Marley tee shirt clad fellows who looked bored to tears to be dealing with "touristas." O, well.. While my self inflicted expectations may have been high, the short ride was fun and a memorable way to spend one's birthday.

As we were all forced to wear life-jackets, there was never any real Indiana Jones-type danger. However.. on the day we arrived the Napo (a tributary of the Amazon) was as smooth as Angelina Jolie's butt after a hot oil message. I kept wondering what this boat ride would be like after a heavy storm and a few inches of rain. I would think it could turn ugly pretty quick. This very night there was a big thunderstorm and the next day the river looked pretty intense with rushing water and whole trees being swept downstream. .. I know I wouldn't want a loved one out in one of these "canoes" on a rough river day. Just sayin.

The Casa del Suizo is a nice resort, but it didn't compare to the last two we had visited. It's high up on a hill as to keep clear of the unpredictable river below. It does have a beautiful pool and bar area with lots of chairs so no matter how crowded the resort might be.. you can always find a place to quietly sit alone and look at the view of the river flowing below or the spectacular sunsets. Food was average at best and the deserts without exception tasted bland (read: European.) All meals were buffet and generally consisted of 3 meats, 2 soups, lots of bread, fruits and side items. Strangely enough.. I was really looking forward to eating fresh fish out of the Amazon. On a recent Anthony Bordain (No Reservations) show he was commenting on how there were so many delicious fish coming out of the Amazon that if you're in the area you must try them. Over 2 days all we got was pork, beef, and chicken. O, well. You will not go hungry. While meals are included, drinks are not. Here you pay for bottled water, cokes, booze, etc.. When you check out at the end of your stay, they throw a hefty fee on you if you pay via credit card. Take cash to save yourself some money.

The rooms at the Casa del Suizo offer 2 double beds, 2 night stands with small lamps with bulbs that barely produce enough light to attract bugs. That may be on purpose. Barely enough to read by. The rooms in our building all had small balconies with wooden chairs and a hammock which my wife loved. There are two downsides worth serious mention to anyone thinking about staying at the Casa del Suizo. Three if you count the blatantly rude French hotel guests. First.. the rooms do NOT have air conditioning. On the day we arrived it was in the 80's with about 200% humidity and no breeze. Even with the ceiling fan set to infinity and beyond, the heat in our room was stifling. So hot that my hoped for (and nautily alluded to) birthday sex wasn't even an option. I'd have died of heat stroke right there on the outskirts of the jungle. Probably with a smile on my face, but none the less dead. It was a challenge just to get to sleep for this A/C spoiled hetero diva. Relief came when a thunderstorm blew though the area at around 3am bringing a breeze and cooler temps. It was wonderful to wake up and hear the heavy Amazonian rain beating on the roofing ..lightning lighting up the surrounding jungle. Reminded me of a scene from the old Clark Gable movie, Mogombo. A hearltfelt "thanks" to earth's special effects department. It was perfect.

The second downside of being in this area is the mosquitoes. Let me preface the following by providing my credentials as one who has never, ever had a problem with insects at tropical locales. I've been to dozens of Caribbean resorts during my diving days. Many having serious reputations for having major biting insect problems.. Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, Guanaja, etc etc.. I NEVER wore bug spray as I seem to possess a natural chemical that repels insects. I wish it worked on the French.. but I digress. While those around me were wearing Deet, SkinSoSoft, Off, etc and still being feasted on like the lone pig at a Hawaiian luau, I rarely if ever got bitten. I can honestly say that in 2 dozen trips to these areas I'd come away with 3-4 total bites.. A genetic gift? Who knows, but I've always been blessed in this regard. I stopped carrying insect repellant years ago.. Here in the Amazon, my superior genetic make-up made no difference.

The Amazonian mosquitoes are a whole nuther breed. They are the Seal Team 6 of the insect world. If Chuck Norris was a mosquito... he'd be an Amazonian. They are on and off you before you see them coming. They are silent and so small that you never feel them. You aren't even aware of their attacks until hours later when arms and legs looked like you'd been tortured with a lit cigarette. Even after borrowing my wife's industrial strength Deet that she purchased on Krypton, I got over a dozen bites in a 24 hour period. I actually think they must like the taste of it. Amazingly.. I never once saw a single mosquito land on my body. Take the following words seriously.. If you go to the Amazon... be prepared.

Note.. this hotel review was an excerp from a full trip report of our Ecuador Trip.. 8 Day Classic Ecuador & Amazon Trip Report : Nov 11th- 18th, 2011 at http://pirateslair.net/Ecuador.htm